New Jesuit provincial named

Father Thomas P. Greene, SJ, has been named the new provincial superior of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province. Father Greene, 56, who will assume his duties on July 31, 2020, currently serves as provincial assistant for international ministries and as Jesuit superior of the Jesuit Community of Belize, Central America. He previously served as the rector (superior) of Bellarmine House of First Studies at Saint Louis University from 2014 until his appointment to Belize in 2017. From 2010-14, Father Greene was secretary for Social and International Ministries at the Jesuit Conference of the United States in Washington, D.C. Prior to entering the Jesuits in 1997, Father Greene practiced law in New Orleans. He was a founding member of the Jesuit Social Research Institute of Loyola University New Orleans in 2007. His ministries have included the legal representation of detained immigrant children and asylum seekers in Chicago, Houston and New Orleans. Father Greene succeeds Father Ronald A. Mercier, SJ, who has served as provincial of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province since its creation in 2014.

Trustee of the Year

Winthrop “Win” Reed III, board chair of Mercy Hospital South, was recognized by the Missouri Hospital Association as 2019 Trustee of the Year. The award was presented Nov. 7 during MHA’s 97th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Osage Beach, Mo. “Win is deeply committed to improving the health of south St. Louis County residents who are served by Mercy Hospital South,” said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA president and CEO. “He also is dedicated to making the St. Louis community a better place. Through his service on the boards of various nonprofit organizations, he has helped make the metro area a healthier and more vibrant community.” Reed, a parishioner at Ste. Genevieve du Bois in Warson Woods, joined the board of St. Anthony’s Medical Center in 2012. He was instrumental in the affiliation of St. Anthony’s Medical Center with Mercy, leading to the establishment of Mercy Hospital South in October 2018. He also serves on the Mercy East Board of Directors and is chair of the Boniface Foundation.

Villa Duchesne/Oak Hill receives historic gift

Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School has received a lead-gift commitment of $3 million to the school’s Honoring Our Legacy Major Gifts Initiative. The pledge is the largest gift commitment in the 90-year history of the school, announced head of school Michael F. Baber and board chair J. Spencer Finney. The anonymous donors are lifelong supporters of Sacred Heart education. Their gift is earmarked for a Student Life Center and enhancements to student gathering spaces on campus, including a renovation of the existing auditorium into a theater. The timeline for construction will be announced in the spring. The gift comes on the heels of a $1 million challenge gift announced in September to endow the school’s English and math departments. Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School is an independent, Catholic school in St. Louis for boys and girls age 3 through sixth grade and for young women grades 7–12.

Handcrafted items

L’Arche St. Louis is selling several items created in the workshop of the L’Arche community in Harare, Zimbabwe. These handcrafted items are created by people with and without intellectual disabilities working alongside one another in community. All proceeds will go back to L’Arche Zimbabwe to support their mission. Visit www.larchestlouis.org/donate to see the items, including bags, necklaces, earrings and more. In Zimbabwe, it is estimated that 72 percent of people live below the poverty line. People with disabilities and their families are among the least supported. The presence of L’Arche in the city of Harare reminds people of their inherent value and offers a place of recognition across religious and cultural traditions. L’Arche opened in Harare in 1995 and now has two homes, a workshop, and various daytime activities, serving 23 core members. Purchases of the items also may be made by calling (314) 405-8025.

Tray-mendous project

More than 80 parishioners from St. Mary Magdalen in Brentwood decorated 400 food trays with messages of love, hope, and thanksgiving on Nov. 10. The project assists St. Vincent de Paul Parish in St. Louis, which will serve Thanksgiving meals on site and deliver meals to homebound senior citizens. The designs on the trays included psalms, traditional greetings, pictures, jokes and even a cartoon turkey exclaiming, “Eat more beef!” St. Mary Magdalen has partnered with community agencies to complete parish-wide service projects for more than a year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Birthday Party for Baby Jesus

The Daughters of St. Paul are hosting their annual Birthday Party for Baby Jesus Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pauline Books and Media, 9804 Watson Road in Crestwood. Admission is free. Families have made Pauline Books and Media’s Birthday Party for Baby Jesus a St. Louis tradition for more than 25 years. Some of the festivities will include: picture-taking with Baby Jesus (costumes provided/bring your own camera); Birthday cake; visit from St. Nicholas; Nativity story-telling; and crafts. Pauline Books and Media is a Catholic book store owned and operated by the Daughters of Saint Paul.

Christmas concert

St. Vincent Home for Children will hold an open house and holiday concert from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at the home, 7401 Florissant Road in Normandy. There is no admission charge, but St. Vincent Home is seeking unwrapped gifts fr children ages 10-19. St. Vincent provides professional treatment and residential services to meet the needs of struggling children and families, enabling adolescents to build character, self-respect and coping skills to reach their highest potential. The concert will begin at 3 p.m. and feature Jennifer Williams, the St. Louis Chorale, Marvin Cockrell and Tobie Taylor-Hudson. The St. Vincent holiday wish list is at www.bit.ly/33IDMbB. Contact Becky Reichardt at (314) 261-6011, ext. 123, or [email protected] for more information or to make a donation at another time. St. Vincent Home also will be holding a Christmas Eve Mass at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24.